I really didn't want to burn it.

Compared to Li Ang's side, the various parties in Luoyang seemed even more unsettled.

In particular, Group A, led by Kirshtalia Wodim, took advantage of the high-ranking positions given to them by a certain fox to begin interfering with the Imperial Guards in Luoyang. They also won over a group of loyal followers through various means, providing them with the strength to cause trouble later.

Group A's underhanded tactics certainly couldn't escape the notice of Goyanskaya, who had controlled the Tang Dynasty for over a hundred years. However, she allowed these people to make preparations at will, acting as if she were just watching the show.

Amidst the undercurrents of various factions, Luoyang, the center of the Tang Dynasty, appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, it was like a blank sheet of paper covering a powder keg. The slightest disturbance could trigger a massive upheaval.

This situation continued for several days until the day when the Tang Dynasty and Afghanistan officially signed the agreement...

"That fox is still not making any move?"

"Yes, Lord Wardem. There has been no movement."

"Is it……"

Outside the imperial city of Luoyang, Kirshtalia Wodim stood with a gloomy expression at the gate, with fully armed soldiers of the Tang Dynasty Imperial Guard behind him.

Whether to signify the formality of the treaty with Afghanistan or not, the Queen held the signing ceremony in the square in front of the Daming Palace, where she held court.

The ceremony itself was extremely grand, with all the top officials of the Tang Dynasty in attendance.

"I've heard some people have reservations about this, thinking that Her Majesty the Queen is paying too much attention to tiny Afghanistan," Ophelia whispered to her chief minister.

“Those idiots,” Kirshtalia sneered. “This isn’t a grand affair; it’s just to get everyone together so it’s easier to manage. But it also gives us an opportunity.”

Looking at the towering palace walls before her, Kirshtalia felt a surge of excitement and exhilaration.

"How long has it been since I felt like this? Looks like today might be interesting."

"Captain Wodim, the troops are in position," Kadoc reported to Kirshtalia Wodim.

"So, according to the plan, once the changes begin, Kadoc and Pepe, your troops will first occupy key areas of Luoyang. Ophelia, you and your servants will be in charge of command and coordination, and I will be directly in charge of the fox."

It is not impossible from a military perspective for a small force to launch a rebellion and seize control of the country's central government, but there are very few successful examples throughout history.

Kirshtalia was not a military strategist, but he did have a good understanding of history.

The reason for adopting this plan with an extremely low success rate is that their Group A's foundation in the Tang Dynasty is too shallow, and they can only control a portion of the Imperial Guards.

It is precisely because of this disregard for the situation that Ophelia's task becomes extremely important, as she is the firefighter and lubricant, responsible for overall control and coordination.

"Voyd, you're in charge of dealing with unexpected situations. Don't act rashly."

Kirshtalia Wodim glanced at the penniless man beside him.

"If that emperor really does descend upon this singularity, you're responsible for holding him back."

"I know."

Debit Zem Void answered succinctly.

"Lord Wardem, please be sure to return in triumph."

Although Ophelia's loyalty to Kirshtalia Wodim stemmed entirely from her trust in her, it also reflected her unwavering confidence in Kirshtalia Wodim himself.

Even though the captain never told them about his plans, Ophelia believed that his actions were undoubtedly for the good of everyone (humanity).

"Of course."

Kirshtalia Wodim gave a cold laugh, then walked toward the closed palace gates.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Meanwhile, at the Songhelou Restaurant in Luoyang.

"Oh, such an important ceremony, aren't you going to attend in person?"

Ryougi Shiki posed a question to Li Ang.

For such an important event as the signing ceremony, Li Ang, the head of the delegation, did not attend the ceremony but instead watched the spectacle from a high-rise building overlooking the palace.

Ryougi Shiki found Li Ang's actions very incomprehensible.

"no need."

Li Ang, still holding the telescope in his hand, explained to Ryougi Shiki.

"As long as that silly Yu'er doesn't sign her name wrong, there won't be any problem. Anyway, that agreement is completely useless."

At this point, Li Ang slightly curled the corners of his mouth.

In Li Ang's eyes, this momentous signing ceremony was quite ironic; everyone's attention was focused on the ceremony itself, completely ignoring the content of the agreement.

Because everyone knows that no matter how today's "big event" goes, the signed agreement will definitely be null and void.

Of course, no one cares who signed the papers on them, since they're so scrap paper they're not even good enough to wipe your bottom.

"Hey, Shi. Do you know why I chose Luoyang as the capital, instead of Chang'an, the original capital of the Tang Dynasty?"

"why?"

Before Li Ang could explain, a change occurred in the palace.

boom!

Without any warning, a tremendous explosion occurred inside the Luoyang Imperial Palace, and the towering flames were visible throughout the entire city of Luoyang.

"Oh dear, it's starting."

Unlike the panicked crowd around him caused by the fire, Li Ang appeared very calm.

He put down his binoculars and stood up abruptly.

"Let's go, sir. The stage is all set up, and heavyweight actors like us certainly can't be intimidated."

M78 Nebula 756365104

PS1: Historically, the Tang Dynasty had three palace areas that served as the political core: Taiji Palace, Daming Palace, and Xingqing Palace.

This is just using the name. ╮(╯▽╰)╭

M78 Nebula 756365104

PS2: By the way, "political upheaval" is a sensitive word, so I had to use other words like "rebellion" instead. The wording might be a little awkward in some places, please bear with me. _(:з」∠)_

Chapter 299 (?Д?)_σ Objection あり!!

Daming Palace Square a few minutes before the explosion.

"Anyway, it's just sitting there blankly, and you can just sign and stamp when needed. I think even you, Yu'er, could do something this simple... what a load of rubbish!"

Xiang Yu complained in a low voice, his face full of resentment.

"What do you mean, 'Even I can do that'? Godfather, what kind of mentally challenged person do you think I am?"

Originally, Xiang Yu felt he should be happy to be able to attend such a formal occasion in place of his adoptive father. But in reality, Xiang Yu was not happy at all.

Besides the unpleasant sarcasm Li Ang made before leaving, the entire signing ceremony was also too long and boring.

Xiang Yu thought that this signing ceremony, which was just a formality, should only take a few minutes to complete, but to his surprise, it lasted for almost two hours and he still hadn't reached the final signing stage.

"I'm really impressed by these people. How did they manage to stay in this position for so long?"

Xiang Yu felt that what he had done was a form of slow suicide, because he couldn't remember what had happened during those two hours when he was in a daze.

"I'd rather go home and sleep."

Xiang Yu shifted his hips uncomfortably, yawned, and complained with a helpless expression.

"Lord Xiang Yu! Please mind your manners!"

An official close to Xiang Yu quickly reminded him.

"I see."

Xiang Yu responded impatiently, sighing as he looked down: "Anyone will do, just hurry up and end this boring ceremony with a rebellion."

"Hmm... it's about time."

Chloris glanced at the watch that Li Ang had given her a few days ago as an apology, and stood up.

She is here because DD, the hostage, may be present at the ceremony.

As a result, no maids were seen throughout the entire ceremony, indicating that the Tang Dynasty's high-ranking officials were not prepared to give up this useful pawn so easily.

Since the person wasn't there, Chloris wasn't going to waste any more time; she had a lot of work to do later.

"Hmm? Ma'am, are you leaving?"

Kirshtalia Wodim, sitting not far away, was somewhat surprised.

"Madam has some private matters to attend to. Do you intend to come along?" Chloris asked coldly.

"It's nothing, the signing ceremony just hasn't started yet."

"I'm really sorry, I'll be back as soon as possible before I sign."

Chloris waved casually, then turned and led Wujiu Kirie and Skadi out of the venue through the side door.

Ophelia watched indifferently as the three women left through the door, biting her lip lightly.

"Lord Wodim, what do we do now?"

Ophelia asked Kirshtalia in a low voice.

“Proceed according to plan. There’s no need to change the whole plan because of some minor accidents,” Kirshtalia said softly. “It’s a pity that a few big fish escaped.”

"Should we send someone to secretly kidnap them?" Ophelia asked.

“That could cause the plan to fail,” Kirshtalia said. “Don’t act rashly; the other side is, after all, a god. This is enough; one hostage is sufficient. Right now, the priority is Her Majesty the Empress.”

As she spoke, Kirshtalia glanced at the elegant lady in palace attire sitting at the very front.

"I see."

Ophelia nodded slightly and tapped the communicator on her wrist a few times, assigning tasks to her subordinates outside the ceremony.

Shortly after Chloris left, the signing ceremony finally reached the signing part that Xiang Yu had been eagerly anticipating.

Xiang Yu, who was already on the verge of losing his temper, signed his name at the bottom of the agreement without even looking at it, and stamped it with the so-called seal of the Afghan Autonomous Region.

Compared to the hasty and impulsive Xiang Yu, the Empress was much more deliberate and methodical. The way she gently ground ink on the inkstone made her look more like she was practicing calligraphy in her leisure time than signing an important document.

"I didn't expect the Afghan representative to be so careless," Her Majesty said with a smile. "Aren't you afraid we'll amend the terms?"

"Huh? You guys are really that despicable?"

"..."

Xiang Yu's question put Empress Dowager in a bit of an awkward position; she didn't know whether to answer "yes" or "no."

"Now I know why he always called his godson a simpleton; he really is a complete simpleton..."

Her Majesty the Queen shook her head slightly, trying her best to maintain a smile, and continued, "I was just a little curious. Isn't that man the key figure in this delegation? Shouldn't he be the one who signed the contract?"

Xiang Yu scratched his head sheepishly: "You mean my godfather? He found it too boring here, so he stopped coming."

"That's really a pity."

Hearing the Empress's words, Xiang Yu seemed intrigued. He leaned closer and asked gossipily, "Your Majesty, are you so eager to see my godfather?"

"I'm just interested in that man," the Queen replied somewhat shyly, feigning a girlish longing.

Anyone else would have seen through Her Majesty the Empress's act at a glance, but Xiang Yu was just a clueless fool with zero emotional intelligence.

It's perfectly normal for women to be interested in her godfather. Doesn't she know how many women he already has? And that doesn't even include the ones he keeps outside but hasn't brought home!

Therefore, Xiang Yu never doubted his father's ability to woo women. Even if the Empress fell in love at first sight, it was considered standard practice for Xiang Yu's adoptive father, nothing to be surprised about.

Anyway, among his godmothers are gods, kings, young ladies, ninjas, and female ghosts who play with astral projection all day long, adding another empress wouldn't be a problem at all.

What Xiang Yu cared more about was whether the Empress before him only had a slight liking for him, or...

Your Majesty, are you sure... you want to step into that vortex where humans cannot survive?

Xiang Yu's mind flashed back to the women living in the Imperial Preceptor's mansion... He felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

It seems that even if this Empress had the entire Tang Dynasty army with her, it would be a miracle that she could have survived, given her frail appearance.

"What's wrong?"

Her Majesty the Empress felt uneasy under Xiang Yu's gaze.

They say that simpletons have a very accurate intuition. Could it be that this silly boy has figured something out?